Entries for January 2013

Lee Heckman, 35, pleaded guilty in March to one count of fourth-degree Attempted Grand Larceny and admitted to knowingly obtaining almost $2,200 in temporary assistance and food stamp benefits from March 2011 to July 2011.

The website will detail proposed federal regulations that would impact small companies and give small business owners the ability to direct their comments on the proposals to the appropriate federal agency.

Governor Cuomo has turned down requests from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver for such a role, saying lawmakers will be part of shaping the state's casino and gambling policy, but ultimately it will be Cuomo's gaming commission who makes the final call on bid approval and sites.

The pair have a contentious relationship despite both being Democrats, and Cuomo took a stab at DiNapoli earlier this week saying the pension smoothing wouldn't be necessary if the state's retirement fund was doing better.

The State Firemen's Association of the State of New York is working to spread the message that novelty lights should be kept far away from children who could cause harm in mistaking them for toys or trinkets.

Following a three-month investigation, 28-year-old Cody Nichols and 23-year-old Alicia Herman – both of Warsaw – and 22-year-old Patrick Kitzmiller of Bliss have been indicted by a Wyoming County grand jury, according to the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office.

The commission -- intended to oversee casinos, lottery games, off-track betting and other gaming enterprises -- is supposed to be ready to go by Friday, but no nominees have been set for the commissioner’s position or the executive director position.

Not wanting to "get lulled into a sense of security," Genesee County is taking time to evaluate the provision of the state's proposed budget that offers an opportunity for cities and counties to contribute less to the pension system and save long-term.

In making its decision to affiliate with RGHS, the UMMC board cited the system’s national recognition and its comprehensive medical specialties that will enhance existing services available in the Batavia community.

New York's 27th District representative will serve on the House Agriculture Committee's General Farm Commodities and Risk Management and Horticulture, Research, Biotechnology and Foreign Agriculture subcommittees.

In what are believed to be related crimes, Genesee County Sheriff's Deputies say two white men in a silver or tan van are breaking into locked homes and stealing cash, jewlery and other easily-accesible goods.

While surrounding areas south (southern Wyoming County south to the Southern Tier) and north (Lake Ontario shore line) are dealing with both the extreme cold and significant snow fall, Batavia is in a fortuitous position between the two bands of snow.

Responding to calls-for-action from political leaders such as Sen. Chuck Schumer, the inspector general of the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs is initiating a probe of how the Buffalo VA hospital ignored protocol and reused insulin pens.

State Police responded to a domestic violence incident involving a suicidal person at around 11 p.m. Monday night. When the man did not put his gun down as the trooper demanded, the trooper shot the man once in the shoulder. He was taken to Strong with non-life threatening injuries.

Instead of depending on local tax revenue, the state comptroller wants to identify municipalities and school districts across the state before they fall into a fiscal crisis, so they can find alternatives.

Twenty-three-year-old Benjamin Santiago Jr. -- formerly of Batavia -- will add to his current sentence for drug possession and parole violation. Santiago Jr. was originally arrested in June 2011 at a Batavia motel as one of three men in possession of heroin and cocaine.

With 20,000 people affected state-wide (compared to 4,000 all of last flu season), Governor Cuomo issued an Executive Order this weekend to pharmacies to administer flu vaccines to anyone over six months of age.

In his State of the State, Governor Cuomo announced plans for three Upstate casinos to drive tourism, especially from New York City residents who often head to New Jersey or Connecticut for gaming; but those plans may not include Western New York.

Lead by a game-high 20 points from senior Riley Norton who was also named Tournament MVP, Notre Dame defeated Batavia 41-38 as the Blue Devils missed a shot at the buzzer in Thursday's championship game.

In a radio interview, National Rifel Association President David Keene says in referring to Cuomo's State of the State address that if other states haven't followed New York before when it comes to strict gun control, then they won't now.

John Eastridge is accused of sexually abusing a child under the age of 11 in 2002. He also was charged with sex abuse in 2012 for allegedly having sexual contact with a child under the age of 11 in 2009.

The comptroller's office cites Town officials' failure to provide sufficient evidence that annual audits of the Justices’ books and records were conducted and the Justices did not always enforce unpaid tickets or report transactions to DMV in a timely manner.

Village trustees Wednesday failed to vote on a motion to make a counter offer for a group of local residents to buy the property and then passed a motion looking for proposals to have the building demolished.

In his 2012 State of the State address, Gov. Cuomodiscussed Upstate redevelopment, environmental issues, education, Hurricane Sandy relief, gun control and called for higher state minimum wage at $8.75.

From the state assembly, to the state association of district attorneys, to the governor himself, gun control is getting significant attention in New York State following the Newtown, Conn., school massacre.

Even as this news is announced, a meeting at the Stafford Town Hall to discuss the controversial drilling process is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. The meeting is open to the public and features a guest speaker to inform residents about how hydrofracking could affect Genesee County.